India’s domestic cricket witnessed a batting onslaught on Wednesday as Bihar shattered the world record for the highest team total in a single List A match, piling up a staggering 574 for 6 against Arunachal Pradesh in a Vijay Hazare Trophy Plate Group fixture.
At the heart was 14-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who scored 190 off just 84 balls to script a performance for the ages.
Bihar’s total eclipsed the previous record of 506 for 2, set by Tamil Nadu against the same opposition in the 2022–23 season, and claimed the No. 1 spot on the all-time list with a ‘world record’ innings score.
While the collective effort was formidable, it was Suryavanshi’s fearless assault that laid the foundation for the total, ably supported by Piyush Kumar Singh with 77, wicketkeeper-batter Ayush Loharuka with 116, and skipper Sakibul Gani with 128.
After winning the toss and opting to bat, Bihar surged ahead during the powerplay, led by Suryavanshi, whose aggression made him unstoppable.
The teenage opener brought up his century in just 36 balls, the second-fastest by an Indian in List A cricket.
By the time he was dismissed for 190 off 84 balls, which included 15 sixes and 16 fours, Bihar had already raced past 260 runs inside 27 overs.
En route to his knock, Suryavanshi broke multiple records. He became the youngest player to score a century in List A cricket and also surpassed AB de Villiers’ mark for the fastest 150 in the format.
His innings came only three days after his failure in the final of the U19 Asia Cup against Pakistan in the UAE, making the turnaround all the more remarkable.
Following Suryavanshi’s departure, the responsibility of maintaining the momentum fell on Ayush Loharuka.
The wicketkeeper-batter accelerated sharply after reaching his fifty in 35 balls and was eventually dismissed for a whirlwind 116 off 56 deliveries.
Every bowling option Arunachal Pradesh tried met the same fate, with the ball repeatedly disappearing into the stands or being pierced through the covers.
After Loharuka’s dismissal, Gani took charge alongside Bipin Saurabh. Gani’s assault was even more explosive as he reached his century in just 32 balls, the fastest by an Indian in List A cricket, breaking Anmolpreet Singh’s record of a 35-ball hundred set in 2024 against the same opposition.
Gani went on to smash 10 fours and 12 sixes, while Loharuka had earlier struck 11 boundaries and eight maximums.
Gani and Saurabh ensured that Bihar breached the 500-run mark in record time, achieving the milestone on the fourth delivery of the 46th over.
Bihar closed their innings at an astonishing 574 for 6 at the end of 50 overs. At a venue that had already witnessed 49 fours and 38 sixes, even Loharuka’s blistering century was somewhat overshadowed by the unreal batting of Suryavanshi and Gani.
The global list of the quickest hundreds in the format continues to be topped by Jake Fraser-McGurk, who struck a 29-ball century for South Australia against Tasmania in the 2023–24 season, followed by AB de Villiers’ 31-ball hundred for South Africa against West Indies in Johannesburg.
With centuries from the troika of Suryavanshi, Gani and Loharuka, Bihar not only overwhelmed minnows Arunachal Pradesh but also rewrote the record books on the opening day of the 50-over domestic tournament.
The sustained, brutal onslaught against an attack described as pedestrian in quality ensured that what might have been a routine Plate Group encounter instead became a landmark moment in List A cricket history.
